There is a saying: water is the source of life. Without water, life on our planet would not exist. Globally, we are facing a shortage of drinking water, yet we are increasing water pollution with our activities. By doing so, we are also endangering our own existence. In order to prevent or limit this, we need to change our behaviour towards nature and the environment. Some research show that our behaviour is influenced by the way we perceive nature and what our attitudes toward nature are.
The goal of the present research was to determine the association between the knowledge of the water cycle, environmental attitudes and behaviour. The research sample included 171 students from 3rd to 9th grade from seven primary schools that participate in the international Network of Schools in the Škocjan Caves Park. The data was collected using an anonymous questionnaire consisting of three parts. In the first part we tested students’ knowledge of the water cycle. Students also had to draw and describe the water cycle. In the second part, we used The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) to determine students’ environmental attitudes. In the third part we used The General Ecological Behaviour (GEB) scale to measure ecological behaviours.
Results showed that students who had a higher level of knowledge of the water cycle, especially the understanding of importance of groundwater, tended to have more positive environmental attitudes. The association between the knowledge of the water cycle and environmental behaviour was not statistically significant. Students who reported more positive attitudes toward the rights of nature were more prone to engage in environmentally responsible behaviour. Older students showed more knowledge of the groundwater system and had a better understanding of the connections in the water cycle schemes than younger students. Male students showed more knowledge about the circulation of matter. Female students tended to have more positive attitudes toward the rights of nature and practiced environmental behaviour more often.
|